Safety shoes



May 6, 1958 F. A. wlLMANNs ET AL 2,833,058

SAFETY SHOES Filed Nov. 27, 1957 d l I l w MVM/fafa:

SAFETY SHOES Frederick A. Wilmanns, Milwaukee, and Edward A. Ott,Merrill, Wis., assignors to Albert H. Weinbrenner Co., Milwaukee, Wis.,a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 27, 1957Serial No.y699,286

1 SClaims. (Cl. Sti-72)k This invention relates to improvementsin'safety shoes for use by steelworkers, foundrymen, Welders, and otherworkmen engaged in hazardous occupations.

The general object of the present invention is to prov ide a safety shoewhichV will afford protection against hot metal or other materialsklike-ly to 'cause burns, and from heavy falling objects which mightcrush or otherwise injure the foot. v

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved safetyshoe which `will not be unduly heavy and cumbersome, but which willafford a maximum of comfort,v lightness and flexibility, while retainingits protective qualities.

. A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety shoeof the type described which is vrelatively simple in'construction,economical to manufacture, `and unusually neat and attractive inappearance.

. A more. specific object of the present invention is to provide animproved safety shoe in which external plastic toe and instep protectorsare .positioned on the top surface of the shoe and attached thereto byretaining With the -above and otherobjects in view, the inveni tionconsists of the improved safety shoe, and all of its partsandcombinations, as setY forth'in the claims, and allequivalentsther'eof. Y i

ln the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference Acharactersdesignate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is "a side elevational view showing one side of the improvedsafety shoe;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the shoe;

Fig.` 3 is a side elevational View of the improved safety shoe showingthe side opposite that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-,4 of Fig. 1; and Y Fig. 5 isa sectional view Fig. l.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved safety shoecomprising the present invention includes a high work shoe 10,principally of leather, having an upper 11, heel i2, sole 13, toe 14,and -welt 15. Formed on the inside of the toe is a rigid metal toeprotector 16, such as is employed in the conventional safety shoe. Anexternal toe shield 1'7 of hard, rigid, lightweight plastic material ismolded in transversely curved form to fit over a forward portion of theshoe as illustaken on the line 5--5 of trated andl partially overlap therear edge of the metalVY nitcd States Patent y ice toe 16, andisattached by means of rivets 18 to short llexible straps 19, as bestappears in Fig. 4. The straps 19, preferably of leather, are stitchedbetween the welt 15 and lower edge of the upper 11, by the samestitching 20 which connects the upper and welt to the stitching rib20'when using the conventional welt process. The external toe shield 17vhas lower rearwardly projecting wings 17 designed to provide`additional protective covermg. l y

The novel manner in which the external toe shield 17 is attached to theshoe permits a'sli-ght movement of the shield with relation to the shoeand this ycontributes considerably to the iiexibility of the shoe. Inaddition, the movable nature of said toe shield allows a small degree ofyield or give inthe eventof a violent blow, which yielding-actionminimizes the damaging elect of such a shock and substantially increasesthe utility and eciency of the shoe. p l

An instep protector Z1, also molded of lightweight, durable, rigid, hardplastic material, is positioned on and tsover the instep portion oftheshoe,ioverlapping the rear end of the toe 'shield 17, and is adjustablyretained by leather straps 22. The instep protector is transverselycurved in a downward direction with the radius of curvatureprogressively less toward the'upper end. The protector is alsolongitudinally curved to fitl the curve of the instep of the shoe as isclear from Fig. l. As will be'st be se'enin Fig. 5, the strap ends 22are'stitched between the welt 15 and upper 11, by the inseam stitching20 `which secures the parts to the stitching rib 20. The straps 22 areyextended through slots 23 in the instep protector 21 and are adapted tobe joinedtogether lby a buckle 24,' or other suitable means, on the topside of the protector 21. n

The Ymaterial of which Vthe protectors 17 and 21 are made is vpreferablya molded polyester resin reinforced with fiberglass cloth. This'material'has strength and hardness combined with lightness in weight.

The underside of the instep protector 21 is'lined with sponge rubber 25,or other lightweight cushioning material, which is designed to increasethe wearers comfort and to act as a shock absorber in the event of ahard blow.r The portion of said sponge rubber lining 25 around andoutwardly of the slots 23, is cut away, as shown'in Figs. l and 3 toprovide channeled depressions 26 for the reception of the straps 22. Thelatter feature permits the straps to lie at against thel instep and reparight anglebeneath the instep protector.

duces the possibility of the strap folding or'bending at In addition toextending the life of the straps, thisarrangement eliminates theformation of strap ridges or protrusions which can cause considerablediscomfort to the-wearer.

As can be readily seen,\the manner in which the instep protector 21'isadjustably retained by the straps 22 permits easy adjustment of theprotector to accommodate the needs or convenience of the wearer. To putthe shoe on, it is merely necessary to have the straps unbuckled so asto permit theinstep protector to be swung to one side and to lace theshoe in the customary manner. The degree of tightness desired may beregulated by the buckle fastening means. It will be noted that thepresence of the buckle 24 prevents the complete removal of the instepprotector and guards against its inadvertent loss or misplacement.

In addition t0 their obvious advantages of convenience, the novel straps22 employed in attaching the instep protector to the shoe function topermit a sliding movement during walking, of the instep protector 21relative to the overlapped toe shield 17. This latter feature allows theshoe to be readily llexed when the foot bends as inwalking or stooping,thereby contributing to the tlexibility and comfort of the shoe.Furthermore, the

slidable nature of the instepprotector permits a degree of yield or givein the event of a blow and helps to lessen the harmful effects of suchblow.

`The unique combination, of the' coactingmetal toe cap 16, externalplastic. toe shield 17, and plastic instep protector 21, which elementsare relatively overlapping and slidble upon one another, form a completeprotective covering for the top surface of a foot, extending from thetoes to lower ankle, and produce alight, durable safety shoe which isunequaled in comfort and neatness.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of the invention, and all of such'changes are contemplated as maycome within the scope ofthe claims.

What we claim is:

1. In `a safety shoe, an external shield shaped to fit over a forwardportion of the shoe, means securing said shield `in position, an instepprotector which is longitudinally and transverselycurved to fit over theinstep portion of a shoe and having a slot near each side, strapssecured to the side portion of the shoe and having ends extendingsldably through said slots in the instep protector, and means fordetachably securing said strap ends together over the protector tomaintain the instep protector in assembled .position with its forwardend overlapping said shield.

2. In a safety shoe, an external shield formed of a rigid, lightweightfiberglass-reinforced plastic shaped to fit over a forward portion ofthe shoe, means securing said shield in position, an instep protector oflike material which is longitudinally and transversely curved to yfitover the instep portion of a shoe and having a slot near `each side,strapssecured to the Vside portion of the shoe and having 'endsextending slida-bly through said slots in the instep protector, andmeans for detachably securing -tending rearwardly therefrom, a curvedplastic instep protectoroverlapping therrear portion of `said toe shieldand shaped to vtit over the instep portion of the shoe, and detachablemeans for vmovablyretaining the instep pro tectorin operative position.

'4. In a safety shoe, a metal toe piece-formed on the' insideof the toeportion of said shoe, an external toe shield formed of an arched stripof hard plastic ma- 4terial overlapping 'the rear portion ofsaid metaltoe and extending rearwardly therefrom, a Vcurved plastic instepprotector overlapping the rear portion of said toe shield `a`n'd shaped`to fit over the instep portion of the shoe, and

strap and-buckle means for movably retaining the instep i protector in'operative position.

5. In -a safety shoe having an upper, having a welt, and having a toeportion, an external toe shield formed of an arched strip of hardmaterial fitting over a toe portion of `said shoe, a pair of shortretaining straps having lower ends stitched between the upper and weltof said shoe and having upper ends connected to said toe shield, acurved instep protector fitting over the instep portion of the shoe andoverlapping the rear portion of said toe shield, a pair of retainingstraps having lower ends stitched between the upper and welt rearwardlyof said short straps` and means for releasably fastening said strapsover said instep protector to hold the latter in assembled position.

6. In a safety shoe having lan upper, having a welt, and having a toeportion, an external toe'shield formed of an arched strip of hardmaterial fitting over a toe portion of said shoe, a pair of shortretaining straps having lower ends stitched between the upper and weltof said shoe and having upper ends connected to said toe shield, acurved instep protector fitting over the instep portion of the shoe andoverlapping the rear portion of Said toe shield, a, `pair of retainingstraps having lower Vends stitched between the upper and welt rearwardlyof said short straps, said instep protector having side slots, a spongerubber lining on the inner surface of said instep protector, said strapsbeing extended through said side slots in said instep protector and saidlining being cut away from an area around and outwardly of said slots toprovide a channel for said straps, and means for adjustably connectedsaid straps together on the top side of said instep protector.

7. In `a safety shoe havingan upper and having a welt,

a curved instep protector fitting over the instep portion of the shoe, apair of retaining straps having lower ends stitched between the upperand welt, said instep protector having side ,slots through which saidstraps extend, Iand means for adjustably connecting said straps togetheron Vthe top side of said instep protector.

8, In a safety shoe having an upper and having a welt, a curved instepprotector fitting over the instep portion of the shoe, a pair ofretaining straps having lower ends stitched between the upper and felt,said instep protector having side slots, a cushioning lining on theinner surface of said instep protector, said straps beig extendedthrough said side slots in said instep protector and said lining beingcut `away from an area around and outwardly of said slots to provide achannel for said straps, and means for adjustably connecting said strapstogether on the top side of said instep protector.

References `(ited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

